Hornet's Nest (3 page)

I pulled back and stared into her eyes. Her hands glided down from the back of my neck and rested on my chest. She broke our stare and focused on her hands as we swayed to the music around us.

“And you can prove it to me?”

All my blood rushed south with that one single question. Her eyes flickered back up to mine and they were filled with doubt. I would never let her regret me. I bent down to her ear again.

“I can prove it however many times you need me to. I’ll prove to you how good I can be in every capacity if you would just give me a chance. I just need one chance.”

I pulled back to stare into her eyes. The self-doubt was long gone, replaced with lust. She glanced around and then yanked my hand as we fled the dance floor. I turned around to see if we were undetected, but Paul found me. I winked and smiled, my only way of confirming that I had this under control. I led the way around to the backside of the barn. Not a soul would notice that we were here. The party was barely an echo behind us. We had our own slice of the country. I leaned up against the barn as she stood in front of me, questions soaring in her head. I shook mine as the unspoken answer. I wouldn’t hurt her. I would do everything I needed to do in order to be with her. I would drive to Charlotte. Hell, I could move to Charlotte. Her eyes flickered to my lips as I waited for her to make the move. This was her call. I had to wait for her. She leaned up on her toes ever so slowly. Her mouth gently brushed mine. I flipped her around, pressing her back against the wooden barn. I sucked the lips I had been craving for far too long.

All bets were off the table. I was going to give her my all, and I was going to give it to her now.

MY CHEST ACHED as my heart pounded against it. The blood pumped in my ears, leaving all sounds of the country to silence. The only thing I could register was his lips. I was thankful I was pinned up against a wall. I was sure to fall.
Oh God, I’m going to fall so hard.

Lance’s hand slid up my thigh, and my leg automatically hooked around his hip. He pressed against me and I lost my breath. What was happening? He was going to play me. He was going to play me, but damn, I couldn’t stop. My fingers threaded through his hair, clenching it into my fists. He hiked me up as he wrapped my other leg around him. He pressed himself against me and I gasped, breaking our kiss. His lips trailed down my neck and onto my chest. My eyes fluttered closed, he felt so good…
too
damn good. I opened them again; he pulled away from my chest. The emerald of his eyes darkened and hooded with pure lust.

“I need you, Lance.”

He held me still against him as if pondering what to do. His eyes flickered to the side and back to me. Why was he questioning this? I needed him. If he questioned then I questioned, and I didn’t want to question. I wanted to lose myself in the man that was Lance Walton. He released his grip on me and I slid down his body until my feet touched the ground. His hand grazed up my thigh, up my hip, gently caressed my chest, then glided to my neck, and ended on my cheek. Every part of my body stung from his touch. He coddled my face with his other hand as I got lost in the sparkle of his eyes.

“I need you more than just behind a barn.” More than a smirk, his face lit up as if he was actually happy. I believed I had just met the man that was the real Lance Walton.

“Come here,” he whispered as he laced his fingers through mine. I followed him through the grass around the corner of the barn. A lone Jeep sat parked out of sight from wandering eyes. He went to the back door and opened it, but before he let me in, he pressed his lips to mine again and then whispered, “You can get in here or not. You can get in here and not do anything. You can get in here and I can show you how so damn beautiful you really are. I will show you one day either way, but I really hope that day is right now.”

He stepped aside, still holding my hand, but allowed me to make the decision. I glanced into the back seat of his Jeep and then back into his eyes. With that one look, I had made my decision. I dropped his hand. Any bit of a smile left his face as he stood watching me, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

I stepped up into his Jeep.

After scooting across the bench seats, I kept my eye on him while I pulled off my shoes and bent my legs underneath me. He leaned inside with one hand on the roof and the other hand on the open door. He just stood there. Watching. I reached behind me and slowly unzipped the strapless dress. It fell down to my waist. No bra was needed for this design.

“Holy fuck,” he whispered as his chest heaved.

“I guess the question is… are you going to get in here or not?”

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. I sat, bare-chested, facing him, and he never moved his eyes from mine. He reached his hand up to my cheek and wrapped his other around the back of my neck, bringing my mouth a whisper from his.

“There are no words to describe how beautiful you are.”

His lips crashed against mine, and I was lost forever.

Lance pulled me onto his lap, and I straddled either side of him, clawing at the buttons on his shirt. By the time I met the buckle of his belt, his hand rubbed me through my lace panties. I gasped out of the kiss while he continued to rub. God, he was hot. This was going to end up bad. This was going to end
very
bad. And I didn’t fucking care.

My lips found his again as I freed him of his pants. He moaned in my mouth while I stroked him. He moved my panties aside and adjusted my position, sinking deep inside me. I cried out from his girth. He remained still as he coddled my face.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.”

He swept his tongue across my bottom lip and I parted my mouth, kissing him back. As his tongue flittered with mine, he slid inside of me as far as he could. He dragged a hand down to my chest, grazing his thumbs across my nipples. I slid slowly up as he pulsed inside of me. I gasped against his lips as he breathed out. His hands gripped my hips tight, and then it was a battle to the finish. He kissed down my neck and pulled a nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, while I leaned back, making him bury himself even deeper than before.

“Oh, God… Katherine…”

His finger flicked me as I gripped him tighter. My legs shook. My heart shattered. He was going to kill me. I screamed out when the first wave hit, and he covered my lips with his. He shook in my arms as I clamped down around him hard. He pulled out of our kiss. His eyes focused on mine without tearing away as he poured into me. We breathed in the moment. My heart ruptured. I hated the emotions oozing out of me, but there was no way to stop it. I didn’t think I wanted them to be stopped. He pulled my lips to his, and I couldn’t get enough. We didn’t move as he lazily kissed me and wrapped his arms tight around me. My bare chest pressed against his, his skin touching mine. Any wall that I tried to build up to hold back this man came down like the top of my dress.

“I’m glad you got in the car,” I whispered with a sated smile.

He pressed his lips to my cheek. “I’m not nearly done. This was just a prequel to tonight.”

I pulled his bottom lip in my mouth as he opened up for me. Our tongues fought for control and dominance, neither one of us were submitting. I broke our kiss and asked, “Oh, is it now?”

He nuzzled against my neck. “Mmhmm… I haven’t tasted every inch of your body.”

“That could be arranged, country boy”

• • •

When we arrived back at the reception, the party seemed to be winding down. Candles flickered from mason jars as the remaining guests swayed to country music on the makeshift dance floor. Lance grabbed my hand as we headed to the bar. His touch stung my skin; a welcoming buzz scorched my body. The young bartender awaited our order as Lance reached over the counter and grabbed an open bottle of champagne and two glasses. He winked at me as we headed back toward a table.

“How long were we gone?” I asked as my eyes darted around trying to find our friends.

“Thirty-minutes tops.” He wrapped his arm around my waist. “I don’t think anyone missed us.” He pressed his lips to my cheek and whispered, “But I sure do miss being buried inside of you.”

I didn’t think it would be possible after having mind blowing sex with this man literally eight minutes ago, but I could not contain myself. “How much longer do we have to stay?”

He cocked his eyebrow as that sexy smirk of his adorned his face. “You miss it, too, huh?”

God, I was fucked.

“Probably more than I should,” I said. Honesty was the best policy.

“Are you staying at The Inn?” he asked as his eyes caught mine. I exhaled from the intensity of his stare and nodded. “Good, the walls are thick there.”

Yep. I was
so
fucked. In that moment, I didn’t care one damn bit.

• • •

The morning sun beamed through the lace curtains into my room at The Inn. My eyes flickered open to the light as I straightened out my bent legs. A sting of pain shot through my thighs just as strong arms tightened around me. My eyes popped open as my head ached slightly. I remember champagne. I peeked down on the floor, seeing my peacock dress mixed in with a dark gray suit.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

I held my breath as I remembered the Jeep… and the time against the wall… and the time in the bed… and the bathtub… and the bed again.
Fucking rabbits.

I turned my head slowly and took in his face. His eyes were still closed as he lazily kissed my head. A ball formed in the pit of my stomach, not quite ready for him to open his eyes, but my heart so desperately wanted him to. He pressed his lips to my shoulder as he gripped me tighter. I needed him to keep his eyes closed for a little bit longer. I needed to get a grip on what was going on.

My gaze flickered from each corner of the room as I questioned everything. I had sex several times with the ultimate womanizer, Lance Walton. He called me beautiful each and every time. Is that what he called all of his nightly conquests? Was I just another notch on his belt? I didn’t want to think this way, but what did I have to work with? I knew what kind of man he was before I even met him. I knew that fateful day would come when I did meet him and I would have to fight off his charm. I tried. Lord knows I tried, but I still threw my arms around him like a crazed fan girl and kissed him.

Months had gone by and I’d avoided him like the plague. I’d known what he did to me. I’d known what affect he had on me, and with one brush of his hand yesterday afternoon, I’d been a goner. I’d laid my trust on him yesterday. Now I was questioning my willingness.
Shit, shit, shit
.

He shifted behind me. My heart stopped beating. It was time to face the music. Was this the beginning of something, or would I go back to Charlotte like a damn fool? He turned me toward him as he adjusted himself on top of me. The sunlight glistened in his emerald eyes, and I was sucked in like a damn fool.

“I don’t want you to go back to the city. I think the country suits you.” He smiled that stupid,
stupid
shit eating grin. I couldn’t help but smile back, but I had to put
some
distance here. I gave myself to him
way
too easily.

“I have to go back, though.”

His face became serious. I grazed my fingertips down his cheek. I much preferred his smile. He didn’t say anything. He leaned down and kissed me instead. Why did I have the feeling this would be the last time I would kiss his lips?

He pulled away and eased off my body, leaving a vacant hole in my chest. He dressed as if he had done this a hundred times before. I knew he had. With an untucked shirt and his jacket in his hands, he bent over my sheet covered body and kissed me like it was the last time we’d ever kiss.

“I hope for a thousand more nights like this.” He pressed his lips to my forehead, and then he was gone. The door closed behind him.

I stared up at the white ceiling. My eyes ran up and down the bead board, hoping he would come back. But he didn’t. Now all I had was time. Time waiting until he made his move.